CNN has seriously been striking out with veterans recently. In addition to allegedly defaming a Navy veteran (get all of NewsBusters latest reporting on the case here), host Brianna Keilar tried to disparage Senator J.D. Vance’s military service as a Marine combat correspondent on Thursday’s Inside Politics, ridiculously suggesting he wasn’t in real danger while in Iraq. But on Friday’s CNN News Central, Vance’s former officer in charge confronted Keilar on her own show, calling her out for being wrong. On Thursday, Keilar scoffed at Vance’s ability to call out Democratic vice presidential candidate Governor Tim Walz’s lies about seeing combat. She suggested he couldn’t speak to it because he somehow wasn’t in danger while deployed to Iraq: I also think that J.D. Vance, as a messenger on this, may be an imperfect messenger because we have, as you introduced him as a combat correspondent, which was what his title was. But when you dig a little deeper into that, he was a public affairs specialist someone who did not see combat, which certainly the title “combat correspondent” kind of gives you a different impression. So, he may be the imperfect messenger on that.     Keilar’s disrespect sparked a backlash on social media. “Maj. Megan McClung was the first female Marine to die in Iraq and the first female graduate of the United States Naval Academy to ever die in combat. She was a public affairs officer,” wrote radio host conservative Larry O’Connor on X. “[CNN and Keilar] don't think it's a dangerous job because [Vance] had the same job.” During Friday’s CNN News Central, Keilar issued a non-apology as she delivered lecture about a nebulous group of people who were attacking Vance’s military service, or course she didn’t include herself: Attacks on J.D. Vance's service are also offensive. J.D. Vance served honorably in Iraq or a combat zone where anything can happen and frequently does. As he said in his book, he was quote, “Lucky to escape any real fighting.” That doesn't make his service less-than “Lucky,” he says and luck is often what makes the difference in a combat zone or even a training mission; that today is not your day. In a country were so few shoulder the burden, military service should not be a liability. It should be an asset.   Maj. Megan McClung was the first female Marine to die in Iraq and the first female graduate of the United States Naval Academy to ever die in combat. She was a public affairs officer.@cnnpr's @brikeilarcnn don't think it's a dangerous job because @JDVance had the same job. pic.twitter.com/B27ELNSL6B — L A R R Y (@LarryOConnor) August 8, 2024   This was followed up with an interview with retired Marine Major Shawn Haney, Vance’s officer in charge. Haney said she may not agree with a lot of Vance’s politics but she had an admiration for “my Marine” that far superseded the disagreement: First of all, I’m 100 percent proud of J.D. and everything that he's accomplished. He joined the Marine Corps. It's not easy, not that many people do it. And I got to know him very well. I consider him to be a little brother. I’m very honored that he describes me as a mentor. I just looked at it as leadership. I saw all of the traits that he had. I saw that he had leadership abilities. He had just the ability to work well above his rank. Toward the end of the interview, Haney politely confronted Keilar about her comments about Vance. “And I've also seen the criticism. Just going to point out that I saw yesterday where you talked about combat correspondent and that's important to me as well… there's a hall in our public affairs school called Defense Information School of 130 heroes that served in that capacity who did not make it out of a combat zone,” she said. She also told Keilar: “And that's not just about J.D. Vance. That's about all of my Marines, but not just Marines. All combat correspondents, public affairs Marines, combat camera Marines, graphic artist. All of those Marines and other service members whose job it is to go where the action is, wherever that is, and to tell the story.” The transcripts are below. Click "expand" to read: CNN’s Inside Politics August 8, 2024 12:24:54 p.m. Eastern (…) BRIANNA KEILAR: I also think that J.D. Vance, as a messenger on this, may be an imperfect messenger because we have, as you introduced him as a combat correspondent, which was what his title was. But when you dig a little deeper into that, he was a public affairs specialist someone who did not see combat, which certainly the title “combat correspondent” kind of gives you a different impression. So, he may be the imperfect messenger on that. (…) CNN News Central August 9, 2024 3:38:09 p.m. Eastern KEILAR: Informed observers connected to politics or the military, myself included, have noted that the Trump campaign is swift-boating Tim Walz. Attacks on J.D. Vance's service are also offensive. J.D. Vance served honorably in Iraq or a combat zone where anything can happen and frequently does. As he said in his book, he was quote, “Lucky to escape any real fighting.” That doesn't make his service less-than “Lucky,” he says and luck is often what makes the difference in a combat zone or even a training mission; that today is not your day. In a country were so few shoulder the burden, military service should not be a liability. It should be an asset. And despite our recent years as a country at war, many service members haven't seen combat. That doesn't make them or their service less admirable or less necessary, nor does retiring from the National Guard after 24 years. These kinds of attacks from the left or the right diminish the service of so many others who have served honorably, who sacrifice time away from family, who put themselves in harm's way, because the military is made largely of J.D. Vance's and Tim Walz's. There are two veterans on these presidential tickets, two enlisted veterans at that. They have unique insight into what America's men and women in the armed forces and their families have been through and need. And shouldn't that be the focus? This is a presidential race for commander-in-chief and so often that candidate or their running mate has never personally served, even as they vie to make decisions about sending people into dangerous situations. The fact that this year they do matters to a lot of people. It matters to me in a family where we're raising two boys who idolize their dad’s military service; two boys who are significantly more likely to serve because their dad did. And if they choose that path it matters to have someone at the table who knows what that sacrifice means. (…) 3:42:34 p.m. Eastern MAJ. SHAWN HANEY (Marines Ret.): First of all, I’m 100 percent proud of J.D. and everything that he's accomplished. He joined the Marine Corps. It's not easy, not that many people do it. And I got to know him very well. I consider him to be a little brother. I’m very honored that he describes me as a mentor. I just looked at it as leadership. I saw all of the traits that he had. I saw that he had leadership abilities. He had just the ability to work well above his rank. (…) 3:46:29 p.m. Eastern HANEY: And I've also seen the criticism. Just going to point out that I saw yesterday where you talked about combat correspondent and that's important to me as well. And that's not just about J.D. Vance. That's about all of my Marines, but not just Marines. All combat correspondents, public affairs Marines, combat camera Marines, graphic artist. All of those Marines and other service members whose job it is to go where the action is, wherever that is, and to tell the story. And those people, there's a hall in our public affairs school called Defense Information School of 130 heroes that served in that capacity who did not make it out of a combat zone. So, that's important to me as well. That's why I'm here today to represent my Marine J.D. Vance, represent his service, probably tried to send a message to all veterans, stand on your record – It's enough – but also defend those of us whose job it is to tell that Marine Corps story and to go wherever that story is. (…)

Blaze Media national correspondent Julio Rosas was on the ground in Minneapolis during the George Floyd riots of 2020 — and he remembers what Tim Walz allowed to happen in his state quite well. Not only did he take no action, but he refused to deploy the Minnesota National Guard to the focal point of the destruction to save his constituents. “It was unlike anything I’d ever covered,” Rosas tells Jill Savage and Matthew Peterson of “Blaze News Tonight.” The Minnesota Police Department had been ordered to evacuate from the third precinct, because that’s where Derek Chauvin was originally assigned out of. “They had besieged that station for the entire week. The riots had broken out for that entire week,” Rosas explains. “The BLM rioters scored a major victory, by forcing them, by forcing the mayor, to give the order to evacuate.” “The rioters many times expressed their desire to set the building on fire with the officers still inside, so if they hadn’t evacuated for probably another 10 minutes, things could have been drastically worse,” he adds. “The governor of the state of Minnesota in fact bears responsibility because he refused to get off his duff and send any help,” Peterson chimes in. “There was a big mistake in the thinking from the mayor and then I think ultimately the governor,” Rosas agrees, explaining that he thinks the major mistake was that they believed the decision to give up the police station would give the rioters what they wanted and calm them down. “But that’s not what happened,” he adds. Want more from Blaze News Tonight?To enjoy more provocative opinions, expert analysis, and breaking stories you won’t see anywhere else, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

The latest U.S. vaping statistics highlight a changing tobacco landscape in which vaping is on the rise and smoking is declining. However, FDA regulations have not kept pace with these market shifts, particularly in allowing safer smoking alternatives to reach the market. The FDA’s regulatory processes are limiting harm reduction options for American adults and underscore the need for urgent congressional action to amend tobacco control laws to better protect public health. A recent report from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, using data from the 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, shows a 13.3% increase in nicotine vaping among Americans ages 12 and up, from 8.3% in 2022 to 9.4% in 2023. Encouragingly, underage use (Americans ages 12 through 20) of vapor products fell by 4.1%, from 12.2% in 2022 to 11.7% in 2023. In 2023, 26.6 million Americans were vaping, of whom 4.5 million (16%) were underage. The FDA’s regulatory processes for introducing safer alternatives to cigarettes are overly cumbersome, repetitive, and inadequate for the growing number of adults using e-cigarettes. SAMHSA also documented an ongoing decrease in combustible cigarette use. In 2023, only 13.7% of Americans 12 years or older smoked, totaling 38.7 million people, with 1.2 million (3.3%) being underage. This 13.7% smoking rate shows a 6.2% decrease from 2022, when the smoking rate was 14.6%. More importantly, this reduction represents 2.4 million fewer Americans smoking compared to the previous year. SAMHSA’s findings align with recent financial reports from tobacco manufacturers showing steep declines in U.S. cigarette sales. British American Tobacco reported a 13.7% drop in U.S. combustible cigarette volumes in its mid-year financial report, attributing the decrease to economic pressures on consumer spending and the rise of unregulated disposable e-cigarette products. Similarly, Altria’s second-quarter report for 2024 indicated a 13% decline in domestic cigarette volumes, acknowledging macroeconomic pressures and the “growth” of disposable e-cigarettes led to these declines. Efforts to limit disposable vapor products by tobacco manufacturers and regulators continue. To date, the FDA has authorized only 34 e-cigarette products, 32 tobacco-flavored and two menthol-flavored — the first non-tobacco-flavored products permitted in the United States. All are owned by three companies: Altria, BAT, and Japan Tobacco International. The FDA’s regulatory processes for introducing safer alternatives to cigarettes are overly cumbersome, repetitive, and inadequate for the growing number of adults using e-cigarettes. This situation presents a significant paradox in that since the e-cigarette application deadline four years ago, only the largest tobacco manufacturers have received FDA authorization but also profit from combustible cigarette sales. What’s more, these manufacturers have spent billions of dollars on research and development and incurred substantial costs related to FDA authorization processes. Yet they are losing sales of both their e-cigarette products and traditional cigarettes to companies that have not even applied for FDA approval, nor have they disclosed their products to the FDA for sale in the United States. Despite the presence of these unregulated products, smoking rates continue to decline, while vaping has increased — a trend reflected in adult survey data and declining sales numbers from tobacco manufacturers. The FDA’s marketing order application process needs significant reform. Despite the FDA’s claim of commitment to using all available regulatory tools to address illegal products, the agency resists endorsing less harmful alternatives to cigarettes. As adult vaping increased in 2023, the FDA did not issue any new marketing orders for e-cigarette products but authorized more than 660 orders for combustible cigarettes — in a year when adult smoking rates fell. This inaction is unacceptable for an agency granted congressional authority to regulate tobacco products two years after the introduction of safer alternatives like e-cigarettes. Ranging from e-cigarettes to oral nicotine and a limited rollout of heated tobacco products since 2007, American adults have been exposed to a variety of safer alternatives, many which are non-FDA-approved. Despite this, the percentage of adults, including medical professionals, who are unaware of the health benefits of tobacco harm reduction products continues to rise. This ongoing issue stems directly from the FDA’s ineffective regulatory approach, which appears to favor traditional cigarettes and smoked tobacco products over safer alternatives. The FDA’s focus on youth usage hinders its efforts to enhance the market for safer tobacco alternatives, despite reports showing a decrease in youth e-cigarette use and a slight increase in youth smoking. A recent SAMHSA report shows that the percentage of youth ages 12 to 20 years old reporting current cigarette use rose by 6.5% from 2022 to 2023. While still below 2021 rates, this uptick is concerning, with several states reporting increases in youth smoking rates in recent Youth Risk Behavior Surveys. The FDA is not fully using its regulatory capabilities to eradicate outdated smoking habits and promote access to regulated tobacco harm reduction products. The approval of only 34 e-cigarette products from three manufacturers is grossly inadequate to meet the needs of over 20 million adults who vaped in 2023. This limitation not only stifles free market competition but also contradicts American values. Congress must address and revise the restrictive 2009 tobacco law, which currently impedes tobacco harm reduction efforts for American adults who smoke.

A Minnesota high school girls hockey coach was falsely accused by 6 parents of child sexual assault and other inappropriate behavior, but the truth came out after he filed a defamation lawsuit. Head coach David Marvin was able to get his team to win a state championship in 2022, but the accomplishment was marred by accusations from current and former students. Marvin filed the defamation lawsuit in 2023, and on Wednesday the six parents admitted the allegations were untrue. 'I'm looking forward to moving forward.'"The letter contained untrue statements accusing Marvin of criminal activity, sexual harassment, and other wrongful conduct. [We] regret signing the letter and regret any impact [our actions] had on Coach Marvin's reputation or the Warroad Girls Hockey Program," read a statement signed by five of the families. The parents had taken their concerns to the school district, but officials decided against acting on the accusations. So the parents took to social media and posted the accusations in an open letter on Oct. 30, 2023. The letter accused the coach of sexual assault, making "sexually harassing comments," hazing, and causing emotional distress. The comments were widely circulated even after the Warroad School defended the coach and said the accusations were false. Five of the parents admitted that they had not verified the allegations in the letter before sending it out, and the sixth parent said only that she didn't write the letter and that she had not made false statements. The sixth parent was ordered to pay Marvin $17,000 in damages. The other parents were ordered to make a $5,000 donation to a non-profit that works to improve the mental health of athletes. The parents' allegations against the coach are also to be removed from social media. "I'm really happy with this result and I'm looking forward to moving forward," said Warroad Public Schools Superintendent Shawn Yates via a phone statement to WCCO-TV. Yates said he expects Marvin to coach the team again this year. Here's a news video report about the case from WCCO on YouTube. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Former President Donald Trump put Joe Rogan on blast after reports that he had endorsed Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for president. Social media influencers like Catturd attacked Rogan for comments he made about RFK's candidacy, but the popular podcaster denied the claims after public outrage. He voted for Sen. Bernie Sanders in 2020."For the record, this isn’t an endorsement. This is me saying that I like RFK [Jr.] as a person, and I really appreciate the way he discusses things with civility and intelligence. I think we could use more of that in this world," Rogan said in a post on X Friday. "I also think Trump raising his fist and saying 'fight!' after getting shot is one of the most American f***ing things of all time. I’m not the guy to get political information from," Rogan added.Trump apparently took notice of the controversy and wrote a missive against Rogan on Truth Social. "It will be interesting to see how loudly Joe Rogan gets BOOED the next time he enters the UFC Ring??? MAGA2024," he wrote. It's unclear whether Trump saw Rogan's clarification before the post. Rogan has been praised by many on the right for his coronavirus vaccine skepticism and his criticism of the transgender movement, but although he has admitted affinity for Republican policies, he voted for Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) in 2020. The man behind the Catturd account has been praised as part of the right-wing grassroots effort to support Trump's campaign. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

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